I was getting into a musical rut, rocking out daily to only my “Recently Added” playlist on iTunes, which consists of about ten songs and a bunch of unwatched Onion News Network podcasts. Nothing was inspiring me to branch out and procrastinate doing my Shakespeare readings. I actually almost cracked open a book in desperation, until I found Musicovery. This site doesn’t even force you to register, and it creates the perfect playlist to suit your mood by letting you manipulate what you listen to down to tempo, mood, decade, and whether you want to listen to “Classics” or “Discovery” (less-known) songs.

So, let’s give this a try. I want peppy music to keep me from falling asleep on my Norton Shakespeare.

Okay, pretty good, aside from the Avril Lavigne (ew) and the Hinder (double ew). What’s really cool is that each song is mapped out so precisely into genre, tempo, mood, and time period, indicated by the circles at the left. Hmm. I want all of this, but only from the 1980s. Done, simply by dragging little bars by the decades section:

Okay, can’t beat Duran Duran when it comes to 80s music. But wait! If you’re reading One-Click Wonders, you probably want something less poppy, and more indie. So let’s turn off the “Classics” option and turn on the “Discovery” option, and remove all options but rock. That should fit the bill.

Hey, Kaiser Chiefs! Good stuff! We’ve also got last year’s Dillo Day standouts The Roots, and then a few bands I haven’t heard of. Sounds perfect.

Overall, Musicovery’s selection may not be as indie as some NU students like, but I bet it could be with more experimentation. But for someone like me who’s easily bored with the music she has, it’s a blessing. And also, with this blog post included, about an hour’s worth of procrastination time.